nth January, igi6. 



\ 



Professor J- A. Lindsay, in the chair. 



SOME NOTES ON THE INVESTIGATION OF 



DWELLING PLACES OF PREHISTORIC 



MAN IN N.E. IRELAND. 



By H. C. Lawlor, M.R.I.A. 



SOUTERRAINS AND RaTHS. 



(Abstract.) 



Before giving in actual detail the results of my investigations 

 on the sites of dwelling places of prehistoric man in the N,E. 

 Ireland, I should like to make a few introductory remarks of a 

 general nature. I originally intended to confine my investigations 

 to souterrains, which have always appeared to me to be objects of 

 mystery and wonder. That they have similarly appealed to others 

 is evident by the number of plans and measurements that have 

 appeared in various Archaeological Journals. These plans, mea- 

 surements and descriptions of souterrains are all very similar, 

 with the exception of variations in detail. True, some writers in 

 giving descriptions of souterrains have expanded into conjectures 

 of various sorts as to their original use. Some considered they 

 were store-houses for grain, others hiding-places in time of danger 

 and others even sepulchres. 



As to the dates of the orgin of familiar prehistoric antiquities 

 I don't know that I have ever met with any writer having pub- 

 lished any well-reasoned out theory, supported by facts, on the age 

 of souterrains. One often hears more or less learned archgeolo 

 gists talking glibly of the stone age, bronze age and the iron age 

 etc., but these are at best but vague, nebulous and overlapping 

 divisions of time. Therefore, one cannot be too cautious in 

 accepting statements made by various writers unless their state- 



